Posts Tagged ‘sunny side up’

While looking at my medical records, I have made important mental notes about terminology with which I wish to impart my knowledge of in an effort to understand the causes of my trauma, the nature of my trauma, and the results of my trauma.

My daughter presented as occiput posterior. Commonly known as “sunny-side up,” this presentation of the baby is when the baby is face down but facing your front. The baby’s back of the head, the occipital bone, is forced against the mother’s tailbone. You can read more here: http://www.babycenter.com/0_posterior-position_1454005.bc?page=1

Sunny-Side Up is not an ideal way to birth your child. Unfortunately, the care I received during labor was not ideal either, thus compounding a sunny-side up situation. My daughter was determined to be sunny-side up, yet I was still encouraged to push on for 3 hours, while she was in this position. Labor with a sunny-side up child is pure torture. Instead of having some semblance or relief in-between contractions, it was actually worse between because that is where my daughter’s unrelenting head met my (now) relenting tailbone. My hospital records indicate my doctor was out of the room during this time (in the rest area-according to my mother). After 3 hours of the most painful pushing, the doctor tried to manually turn her by forcing both of her hands into me and twisting. (didn’t work). Through the use of forceps, my daughter was then delivered.

The consolation…the doctor told me “you should add a pound for a sunny-side up baby, because that is what it feels like you just pushed out.” So, does 8 pounds 14 ounces get to equal 9 pounds 14 ounces? I don’t know if this was supposed to make me feel proud or angry at the fact that I should have OBVIOUSLY had a c-section.